Volume 1, Chapter 57: You kill, and I will hand you the blade

Qi Jingshan’s gaze flickered slightly. He lowered his head to look at her and said nothing.

Xie Mingyue looked away, her hands clenched tightly.

She had finally opened her heart, only to be met with complete silence from him?

"If you don't believe me, then—"

As she turned to leave, Qi Jingshan grabbed her by the arm.

"When have I ever doubted my wife's words?"

His raspy voice brushed against the shell of her ear.

"True or false, my wife is still my wife."

Qi Jingshan held Xie Mingyue’s hand. Her expression held a trace of liveliness, much like she had a decade ago when she was still an unmarried maiden in the Xie household.

Back then, she was the moon in the sky, completely out of reach.

And he was a bastard born of a concubine, a lowly mongrel rolling in the mud.

He had felt deep anguish over her misfortunes, yet he also harbored his own selfish desires. Had it not been for that, he would never have been able to pluck this high-hanging moon.

He cared not whether she was real or false; he only wished to keep her by his side.

"But I am real."

The pride deep within Xie Mingyue's bones flared up once again.

"Someone in the Xie family harmed me, and then harmed my mother... I will not let them go."

With furrowed brows and an aura of stern hostility surrounding her, Qi Jingshan could not resist reaching out to smooth the space between her eyebrows, erasing that trace of worry.

"Whatever my wife wishes to do, go ahead and do it without hesitation."

He effortlessly picked her up, gathering her into his embrace, his tone dripping with indulgence.

"You set the fire, and I will add fuel to it; you kill someone, and I will hand you the blade."

Xie Mingyue’s face flushed slightly, and she slapped him playfully. "You've lost your mind!"

A man who was usually so solemn and composed in public—why was he always so improperly playful in front of her?

If anyone were to overhear such words, the entire imperial court would impeach him.

Qi Jingshan lowered his head and chuckled softly. "They are words from the bottom of my heart."

Stripping away that layer of disguise, only he knew that he truly was a madman.

Yet Xie Mingyue would never learn of this.

He smiled faintly, gripped her wrist, and pulled her back into his arms.

Upon seeing this, Wutong quickly retreated from the room.

The door closed with a creak, and Qi Jingshan swiftly pressed her against the bedpost.

"Ah... You..."

Xie Mingyue parted her lips slightly, only for the man’s scorching breath to engulf her. He crushed his lips against her soft ones in a forceful, plunderous kiss.

It was not until she let out a soft cry of distress that he reluctantly released her.

"I have never cared about this matter."

"However, since my wife has been wronged, those people naturally deserve to die."

The man’s voice was dangerously low and hoarse, his gaze exceptionally fierce.

Xie Mingyue felt her knees go weak under his overwhelming presence, and she looked up with shimmering eyes. "I don't care about my status, but I cannot let go of those who harmed me and my mother."

Qi Jingshan chuckled softly, pressed his lips against hers again, and said intimately and deeply, "Mn."

Whatever the Xie family had once given her was utterly negligible compared to what he could offer.

A prestigious lineage, praise throughout the capital, a first-rank noble title, a blissful life...

He would grant her the very best of everything.

The light fell upon the man’s handsome profile. Xie Mingyue pressed against the corner of his lips, unable to resist leaning in to plant a light, fleeting kiss.

A dark gleam instantly flashed across the depths of Qi Jingshan’s eyes. His hand, which had been resting on her back, slid up to the back of her head, instantly deepening and continuing the interrupted kiss.

Anything was fine; as long as she was here, even walking through fire and boiling water, he would gladly endure it...

It was not until Gou Zihan knocked on the door again that Xie Mingyue was released, her lips flushed red.

"Come in."

Qi Jingshan’s eyes and brows were filled with profound satisfaction as he stroked her long hair, telling Gou Zihan to wait outside the folding screen.

"I took a look at Madam Zhou Yang. Aside from being emotionally agitated, she is in no major danger. When you two reminisce in the future, temper things a bit," Gou Zihan said unhurriedly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "The lingering poison in Madam Qi’s body has not been fully cleared, and she needs to drink a medicinal decoction every ten days. Before that, there is still coldness within her system, so she must pay attention to keeping warm in her daily life."

While listening, Qi Jingshan naturally and smoothly tightened the shawl around Xie Mingyue's shoulders.

Xie Mingyue turned her head, her gaze falling upon the unfinished sachet resting beside the pillow.

Pomegranate seeds were densely crowded together.

Just as she was about to speak, Qi Jingshan suddenly covered her mouth with his hand.

Gou Zihan continued to chatter incessantly: "Lord Qi, over the years that Madam Qi was poisoned, her body inevitably suffered damage. Although warming and invigorating remedies can gradually restore her health, you still need to exercise some restraint in your daily life and not break this precious treasure apart."

Today, when taking Xie Mingyue’s pulse, aside from the damage caused by the poison, he had also sensed a slight deficiency of yin.

Thinking of how Qi Jingshan guarded her as if she were the apple of his eye, Gou Zihan could figure it out easily enough.

Qi Jingshan was full of vigor and vitality, so Madam Qi must have suffered terribly!

"Understood. Is there anything else? If not, get out."

Qi Jingshan spoke mercilessly.

"Rolling out right now."

With effortless adaptability, Gou Zihan calmly set down his tea cup and left the room.

Only then did Qi Jingshan lower his hand. In just that brief moment, a distinct red imprint of five fingers had been left on Xie Mingyue's face.

It looked rather as though she had been slapped.

"Why didn't you let me ask Divine Doctor Gou?"

She shot him a reproachful look.

Wasn't he the one who threw such a furious fit upon discovering that contraceptive medicine? And now he was stopping her from asking.

A gentle look appeared in Qi Jingshan’s eyes. "It is enough that I ask him."

From Xie Mingyue's expression, he could tell she felt somewhat uncomfortable about the matter, yet had forced herself to bring it up simply to avoid harming her health.

"How could I let my wife bring up such a thing?"

Before the warmth on Xie Mingyue's face could fade, it flushed red all over again.

"It's not that I don't want children..."

She hesitated for a moment before offering an explanation.

She did not want this matter to turn into a misunderstanding.

"I know," Qi Jingshan said, smoothing down a stray lock of hair at her temple. "You are afraid of the pain."

"Besides, your current physical condition is not suitable; you need to recuperate."

He understood her...

A gentle tremor rippled through Xie Mingyue's heart.

Which man did not hope for as many heirs as possible? Who would ever care whether his wife was in pain, or what lingering injuries she might suffer after childbirth?

Yet Qi Jingshan was different.

She bit her lip, a trace of guilt suddenly welling up inside her. "However, you are already thirty."

Some people who married early might already be grandfathers by now.

It was she who had delayed him.

Having attained his current position, Qi Jingshan had no shortage of political rivals. Being childless would often give them grounds to impeach him.

"If I didn't even have this much capability, I would have died long ago."

Noticing her worry, Qi Jingshan smiled faintly and nodded.

"Rest assured, my wife. Once your health is fully restored, it won't be too late for anything."

It won't be too late for anything...

Those words struck a chord deep within Xie Mingyue’s heart. She suddenly walked over to the desk and pulled a booklet out of the drawer.

Her "grudge-settling" roster.

Curious, Qi Jingshan followed her over and saw that Xie Wanqing's name had already been crossed out, while beneath it, Xie Xiuyu's name had a bright red blade drawn next to it...

It looked thoroughly murderous.

He could not help being rendered speechless.

Xie Mingyue then added the Xie family name to the top of the list.

Beneath it, she branched out into Elder Madam Xie, Master Xie, and others.

Then... she poised her pen to write down Lady Yun, but glancing at Qi Jingshan standing beside her, she ultimately refrained from writing it.

If anything happened to Lady Yun, Qi Jingshan would have to observe a strict period of mourning.

Once he entered mourning, his official career would be affected.

She would let it rest for now.

"Is this... my wife's roster for immediate execution?"

Seeing her lower her pen, Qi Jingshan crossed his arms and smiled.

The phrase "immediate execution" brought a smile to Xie Mingyue's face.